this didn't amaze me the way others said it would, but I really liked it. I don't know how much time this spends in barrels, but it seems lighter in all the woody charcoal bourbon properties than so barrel aged stouts. the oatmeal is nice in this, gives it a richness of feel and a smooth texture, as well as a moderate sweetness that all really work well. as for the stout itself, its big and roasty, very minimal bitterness, milk chocolate notes, and a massive body. smoothed out and soft on the palate, even nicer as it warms. limited alcohol coming through, maybe the barrel helps that too. its a well refined product, not skewed one way or the other. hoppin frog has a number of delicious stouts, and while this one stands out to me a little less than some reviews suggest it should, its still superbly well done, and one that is probably still worth the roughly 18 dollar price tag. (888 characters)

A: This shit is black. Like inky sludgy bottom of the ocean after a BP oil spill black. An anglerfish would have a tough time finding its way around this stuff. The color holds almost entirely to the edge on the tilt. Some almost dainty carbonation clinging to the sides of the glass like clusters of barnacles. A small head that's only a couple shades brighter than the beer itself doesn't stick around for the action other than in the form of a thin film. The lacing is super fine-grained. Really pretty beer.

S: The bourbon is there, but it hides itself in some charred wood and dusty earth up front. Slips backward into a veil of vague sweetness that doesn't have a particular character other than the expected vanilla. I feel as though I'm chasing it around. Some mocha vibrations, with a double shot of espresso.

T: Bourbon lets itself be seen in the open for the first time on initial contact, but is quickly pulled under a tide of cascading layers of sweetness, from syrupy canned pineapple to fresh buttercream to sweet tobacco and light spearmint. Oatmeal cookies wrapped in tanned leather usher in a final kiss of bitterness and alcohol before fading into a smoky, old fireplace of a finish. Just gorgeously integrated and concerted. All of the elements know their roles here and play them to near perfection.

M: Marginally lighter than some of the bigger takes on the style, but avoids the pitfalls of syrupiness and overstaying its welcome on the palate that the aforementioned are prone to. Alcohol brings a bite at the end but sucks everything into it and just makes you want another sip almost immediately. I almost wish it loitered around slightly longer.

O: I cannot stress enough how properly the bourbon is handled here. Yes it BA, but its not a bourbon bomb. The bourbon isn't allowed to steal the show from the other worthy aspects of this beer, which is so often a problem in BA variants of already strong stouts. The bourbon is just another player on the team, not the coach. (2,078 characters)

T: Whiskey, seasoned oak, and dark roasted malts. Hints of hops, coco, and toffee. Hops are well hidden but do come through. Well balanced. TONS of booze at the end.

M: Very full bodied. Fine carbonation but not flat. Fairly smooth. Highly viscous.

O: A very boozey BA stout. I’m a huge fan of BA stouts so I enjoy this a lot. It’s not close to the top-tier BA stouts, but I would consider it second tier. Along the likes of Dragons Milk. Given the boozey nature, I can still drink an entire bomber no problem. A wonderful way to begin a session. (912 characters)

Pours a dark black with a small mocha head that fades fairly quickly. Smell is bourbon with notes of toffee, vanilla and chocolate. Taste is big on bourbon upfront with vanilla, coffee and chocolate flavors in the mix as well. Lower carbonation with a bit thinner mouthfeel than a lot of RISs these days. Overall a very good beer. (360 characters)

Poured from bottle to snifterA-pours to a jet black and a tan headS-big bourbon aroma with chocolate, sweet malt, caramel and coffeeT-the same as the smell, sweet roasted and the bourbonM-mouthfeel is sticky and smoothO-this is great oatmeal imperial stout especially with the bourbon had to pair with a cheesecake (319 characters)

A: Pours an opaque thick and viscous jet black in color with minimal amounts of gentle visible carbonation along the surface of the beer and some very faint crimson highlights. The beer has a quarter finger tall sudsy foamy mocha head that reduces to a couple of thick patches of larger bubbles surrounded by a thin film covering the majority of the remainder of the surface and a medium thick ring at the edges of the glass. Moderate amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of whiskey from the barrel aging over the top of light to moderate aromas of chocolate, coffee bean, and roasted malts. Some lighter notes of dark fruits (specifically plum).

T: Upfront there is a light to moderate flavor of roasted malts that is quickly followed by moderate flavors of milk chocolate and coffee. There is a light amount of dark fruit sweetness (plum) and a moderate to strong flavor of whiskey from the barrel aging with hints of oak. Light amounts of bitterness towards the finish which fades pretty quickly.

M: Full bodied with light to moderate amounts of carbonation. Slightly thin with some light to moderate amounts of alcohol warming in the finish.

O: This is a very enjoyable RIS with the complexity of flavor that includes dark fruits, chocolate, and coffee. The whiskey from the barrel aging nicely complements those flavors rather than dominates. I would definitely recommend this beer, probably the best one from this brewery. (1,476 characters)

Jet black as all good barrel aged beers should this had initially a very fizzy head that had an island of thickness in the middle. I poured a second from the 2012 bomber and got a much more cohesive thickness. The beer laced in sheets and poured with a superb thickness.

The aroma is quite vibrant with elements of bourbon, coconut, creamy vanilla, hints of chocolate and a nice malty finish.

The flavors are more bourbon at the front with a touch of harshness. The middle taste is the tell tale coconut and vanilla with a real chocolatey finish. Seldom do I enjoy an aftertaste more but the foretaste is a little harsh to the palate. The chocolate aftertaste is quite full, Very flavorful and the best part.

The feel is silky smooth, full and creamy with almost no carbonated presence. (789 characters)

22 ounce bottle into snifter, 2011 bottling. Pours dense pitch black color with a small dark tan head with good retention, that reduces to a thin lace that lingers. Slight spotty lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big dark chocolate, roasted malt, light char, bourbon, oak, clove, toast, toffee, vanilla, coffee, oatmeal, and roasted earthiness. Incredible aromas with big complexity and great balance of roasted malt notes with barrel character; and big strength. Taste of big dark chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, light char, bourbon, vanilla, oak, toffee, clove, toast, oatmeal, and roasted earthiness. Slight roasted bitterness on the finish; with lingering notes of dark chocolate, roasted malt, coffee, light char, bourbon, oak, vanilla, toast, clove, toffee, oatmeal, and roasted earthiness on the finish for a while. Absolutely incredible complexity and balance of roasted malt and barrel flavors; with an amazing barrel/malt balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. Light carbonation and very full bodied; with a very creamy and slick mouthfeel that is fantastic. Alcohol is very well hidden with only a small warming noticed after the finish. Overall this is an absolutely insane barrel aged imperial stout with a couple years of age. All around amazing complexity and balance of roasted malt and barrel character flavors; and very smooth to sip on for the ABV. A world class imperial stout offering for sure. (1,432 characters)

White top.Poured nearly jet black except for just a faint ruby tint when held right nex to the light.A dark beige that sits for quite awhile atop,it looked menacing in a good way.Aromas of drunken dark fruit,molasses,chocolate,and french roast coffee,barrel played a smaller role than expected but is there.A full chewey feel in the mouth,very nice.Chocolaty flavors and quite roasted at the onset of the palate,dark fruit and vanilla notes as well from the bourbon.This was a great night cap last night,it was rich but not over done with the barrel,it seemed even bigger than it is. (583 characters)

Poured with the thinnest of brown heads on top of deep black. No carbonation or lacing. Just what I was expecting.

All kinds of dark fruit aroma: plums and raisins. Maybe some brownie batter. When I first popped this I overlooked the tremendous oatmeal character. Just like how ginger ale's a little better with a dash of bourbon... you know what I'm talking about, same here. It's subtle but it rounds everything out.

Depth is the keyword on the taste. Starts a touch sweet, finishes perfectly bitter + dry. I get a little mineral content at first and then it reminds of of walking into a bakery: vanilla, coffee, cocoa being melted, (candied) dark fruits, oatmeal cookies, etc. There's a few bba stouts I've had that take me to "that place." This is definitely one of them.

It really sits perfectly on the palate. Extremely silky and creamy, much more so the the std BORIS. Just a touch of drying booze as it goes down.

Absolutely an awesome beer with tons of character and depth. The price point makes this a "once in a while" beer, but I kind of appreciate that model versus something like BCBS being unavailable 90% of the time. If you're reading this on a phone standing in an aisle, go for it, it's worth the money. (1,286 characters)

T - Roast, bittersweet espresso and dark cocao jump out first on the front of the tongue. Middle of the mouth the whiskey notes come out to play, and while big, it doesn't overshadow the other flavors. The chocolate also turns more to the sweet side, with some caramel malts and toffee. But the bitter roastiness comes back in the finish, along with some slight hop bitterness and astringent alcohol. A little hot.

O - This beer has been a long time want for me, so when I saw it on the bottle list it was a no-brainer, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Could use some age to mellow out the booze a little, but damn is this stuff tasty. (1,155 characters)

22oz bomber bottle with a happy and probably drunk frog toasting a mug full of black liquid. Right below the mug is an OHIO sticker. Right below the frog is the name of the beer in a variety of different colors and fonts. To the far left of the frog is where they put all the Government info. To the far right of the frog is a description of the beer, some barrels, and another frog. Absent from the label and bottle is a vintage year. To tell what batch/year this bottle is from, look at the color of the cap. My cap was gold color. This was from either batch 1 or 2 from 2009.

When poured into a fellow Ohio Great Lakes Snifter, this Akron barrel aged beer poured a thick solid midnight crude oil black color. Jet black or oil black. Choose one you like the most. It doesn't matter. If it wasn't for the head of foam, this beer would have had a kick ass appearance. Up rose a tiny less than 1/4 of an inch dark mocha head of foam. In a blink of an eye, this head of foam was gone. It acted like it had somewhere to be. It only managed to leave behind a handful of mocha rings along the edge. Cool jet black color. That's why it was sad to see a weak head of foam on this pitch black brew.

This had one of those aromas that didn't want to play around with your sense of smell. Right off the bat was a strong whiff of whiskey and charred oak. Not so much whiskey that it made this beer smelled like a bottle of Jack. Following the strong aroma of whiskey was a nice amount of dark fruits. My nose picked up black cherry, plums, raisins, and a fig or two hiding in the back. Directly after the dark fruits was some tobacco, dark roasted malt, roasted coffee, and bitter dark chocolate. Rounding every thing off was a pleasant aroma of cherry vanilla. There was a lot going on in this aroma and my nose enjoyed every second of it.

Like the aroma, it was the whiskey and charred oak that kicked things off. It was warm and boozy. Not so boozy that the whiskey controlled the taste and kicked every other flavor out. Following the whiskey was the dark roasted malt, bitter dark chocolate, and roasted coffee beans. Those 3 loved being together. Also in that mix was a few dark fruits. There were more dark fruits in the aroma than there was in the taste. My tastebuds could only find the black cherry and raisins. At the finish line was a drop of vanilla. I wish there was more vanilla to counter all the whiskey and oak. A very good thick whiskey based taste.

The mouthfeel was like every other barrel aged Imperial Stout. In case you don't know what that means, it means that this beer was thick, roasted, and with a full flavored aftertaste. The aftertaste was warm and boozy with a whiskey based taste. I picked up on whiskey, charred oak, a little dark roasted malt and dark chocolate, and a subtle pinch of dark cherry and vanilla. This aftertaste will linger on for some time in the back of your throat.

I really didn't care for regular BORIS, but the barrel aged version makes me want to try it again. It was a very good not overly hot and boozy BA Imperial Stout. There was plenty of whiskey in this beer, but it didn't completely run this beer. It let other flavors in for an enjoyable drinking experience. Would I drink another bottle? I probably would. (3,270 characters)

Opaque, pitch black with a small chocolate-colored, sticky head. Bourbon barrel notes are integrated nicely with the big stout character of the aroma. Bittersweet dark chocolate notes, vanilla and cherry infusion from the oak barrels. Some fusel presence, but it's not overpowering.

Soft, silky texture on the palate. Bittersweet chocolate with some molasses. The barrel-aging has left it's mark, a bit too much of a mark. Bourbon and oak impart bright vanilla and alcohol flavors, but they overshadow the dark, roasted qualities of the base stout. Only slightly do things improve as the beer warms up toward room temperature.

While I was surprised and happy to see Hoppin' Frog's stouts show up in NJ, Barrel Aged B.O.R.I.S. didn't quite live up to the hype for me. With more time to mature, this could mellow out and become a great imperial stout, but right now it's just a good one. (887 characters)

2012 bottle (white cap). Black in color with dark brown head and good lacing. The nose is sweet with some vanilla and bitter chocolate. The taste is nicely complex, with a lot of chocolate and coffee, some roasted notes and the perfect amount of sweetness. Unfortunately I am not really noticing the whiskey at all, but still a very good stout. (344 characters)

Deep brown, near black colour with a ring of mocha coloured head, no lace th speak of. Smell is of oak, vanilla and whisky followed by a big dose of chocolate cake and fudge, coffee and a medium roast. Taste is roasty with oak and bourbon/whisky flavours, vanilla and chocolate with a bit of coffee, lightly fudgey in the aftertaste. Light prickly carbonation, smooth and full bodied. Really solid stuff however with so many incredible BA stouts around this may just get lost in the shuffle, however I would certainly drink this again without question. (552 characters)

Taste: The coffee, which played a minor role in the aroma, takes a more prominent role in the taste. Plenty of bourbon, dark chocolate, plums, figs are also present. Plenty of oak notes are present in the latter half of the taste as well. Finishes nice and crisp with some bourbon and coffee. Alcohol is very well masked in the array of flavors.

Mouth-feel: Low to medium carbonation (more carbonation is present than I would have thought from the pour). Medium to heavy body with a nice creamy texture. Finishes smooth.

Overall: A high quality stout. Plenty of oak as well as bourbon notes are present from the time in the barrels. A very nice array of flavors, a nice, creamy texture and a pleasant aroma to boot. Definitely a quality beer drinking experience. (1,026 characters)